I ORIGINS – The Review

2011 saw the release of one of the quirkiest of the many independent film releases (and there were many oddball little flicks), ANOTHER EARTH. This weird drama/science fiction/fantasy hybrid (it does indeed concern a twin to our big, blue marble) was the first collaboration between director Mike Cahill and actress Brit Marling (the two co-wrote the script). It was an uneven blend of mysticism and intimate character study. Since then Marling became one of the “indie” film scene’s “it” girls with leads in THE SOUND OF MY VOICE and THE EAST, while scoring some supporting roles in mainstream studio flicks like THE COMPANY YOU KEEP and ARBITRAGE. Now the two are back, working together (but not writing) on a science speculative/drama/love story I ORIGINS. And while Marling is not the lead player this time out, it still has that offbeat, off-center vibe while being much more down to (just this one) Earth.

The film begins with a voice-over by the movie’s main protagonist Ian (Michael Pitt) as we see intense close-ups of human eyes. Ian is a molecular biologist who has collected eye photos ever since he could pick up a camera, even concocting a special flash/lens set-up for just that purpose. The story then shifts backwards six or seven years to the college lab he shared with fellow scientist Kenny (Steven Yeun). Much to Ian’s annoyance they are assigned a student assistant Karen (Marling) who’s earning extra credit for her time. Ian hopes to eradicate color blindness and thinks the key may be to actually build or grow an eye on a test animal. Karen takes her internship seriously and begins the search for a sightless, eyeless animal from thousands of candidates, which would have the right molecular make-up that will allow them to add vision. That evening at a friend’s Halloween party, Ian is accosted by a woman wearing a full face ninja-like black stocking mask. He whips out his camera to snap a shot of her exposed eyes. But just as they are getting better “acquainted” in the bathroom, she dashes away like Cinderella at midnight. Spotting the same eyes on a billboard for cosmetics, he tracks down the model, the gorgeous Sofi (Astrid Berges-Frisbey). They begin a  whirlwind, doomed, passionate affair. Flash forward to the present day. Ian and Kenny are behind a worldwide internet database of eyes and their owners. When some researchers make some odd tests on his newborn son, this sets Ian on another worldwide quest in search of those unique eyes from a party so long ago.

Pitt, so menacing in FUNNY GAMES and the TV series “Hannibal”, isn’t given a lot to do as the lead here. He’s aloof as the scientist, fervent (and a bit creepy) as the pursuing lover, and testy as the doubting researcher. Yeun, so wonderful as Glen on AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, is regulated to observer role when he’s not helping to explain the convoluted proceedings. And Marling must spew endless science-speak as her character tries to hide her feelings and motivations. She an engaging screen presence saddled with a glorified “Ygor” part. Berges-Frisbey is supposed to be the free spirit that saves Ian from his work, but besides the physical (and she is quite lovely), there’s no convincing reason that Sofi and Ian should be together (she’s visibly repulsed by Ian’s lab) besides plot mechanics (plus I had a difficult time with her thick accent). Marlin’s co-star from EARTH, William Mapother is brought in as a pointless “red herring” while “The Good Wife” cast member Archie Panjabi is required to furl her brow and push Ian toward the film’s final fade-out.

Director Cahill makes good use of the NYC locations (love the view out the lab window), but keeps the film moving at a snail’s pace. For the first half we’re supposed to be enthralled by the romantic search (the stalking subway waltz feels very off), then we’re slammed with lots of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo that’s never fully resolved. Is this about reincarnation? Are souls transferred from the dead to newborns via shared eye colors? A last act trip overseas seems a desperate attempt to liven things up, but only re-enforces tired cultural stereotypes. Just when it appears that Ian has made some revelation (we almost expect the bright lightbulb to materialize above his noggin), the film just thuds to an abrupt stop. Cahill raises some interesting concepts and theories, but doesn’t follow-through on many of the plot points. Perhaps he wished to challenge movie-goers, but the real challenge is keeping your own eyes open during this long, dull slog.

1.5 Out of 5

I ORIGINS screens exclusively in St. Louis at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre and Plaza Frontenac Cinemas